LIFE AS A SINGLE

Back to school! How quickly the summer vacation has come and gone.  We’ve experienced lots of rain, some sunshine, and fun times.  New school year impacts everyone regardless if you have kids or not from: events, traffic, and longer lines in Sheetz 😊.  So how to prepare for the new year, new ideas, and new friends?  Deactivate, Update to Celebrate, and Elevate!  Those are four words that come to my mind.  It says in Jer 31:25

I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.

Weary? Faint? School is just commencing...  My friend, yes that’s what I said.  Oftentimes we wait until we reach these conditions to be refreshed.  A few weeks ago, refocus, realign, reset, to restart the word DEACTIVATE came to me.  Deactivate what?  Deactivation from distractions, stress, and the past ideals.  In my case a hiatus from things like: praying for others, mid-week services, and my cell phone.  Why?

Update!  God allowed me opportunity to retreat and reconnect with Him.  Jesus often did this going alone to obscure places.  This time allowed me or  parents to set a game plan for the school year. Prepare and preview new opportunities progressing from sophomore to junior or junior to senior.  Every year makes the difference naturally or spiritually.  Each year we graduate from something in life and each year we gain new experiences.  We must always be students, learning, growing, my friend school is always in session.  Prepare for life or life will prepare you!  That’s exactly what Update permits us to do.  Transitions can be stressful and break our rhythm.  Preparation concocts a vision so the new doesn't overwhelm us. 

Celebrate and Elevate. This comes at the breaking point. Huh? Breaking point is the moment before we say, Lord I cannot take anymore and God shifts gears supernaturally.  Last year around this time, three months into my new job, almost in tears in the restroom, I said, “Lord I can’t do anymore.”  Suddenly I felt the peace of God come over me.  God was like, “that’s what I was waiting to hear.”  Immediately, everything changed.  Comprehension levels, efficiency, and effectiveness became extraordinary exceptional!  Why? Heaven celebrated my admission of frailty and ascertaining additional Heavenly resources. 

Recently, in my boss’s office a project manager stopped in and said, a particular customer complimented on your performance, said you’re exceptional quick, detailed, and responsive. Totally amazed, but my recognition of God’s help in the process.  Recently, Deactivate, Update, to Celebrate and Elevate created waves, channels, opportunity to receive intel for new year.  My friend, I took time to deactivate my Facebook account for the first time in 10 years, left my cell phone in the car at work, and consumed extra time with God when I can.  Cell phone, lady I have kids.  My friend we all have work phone for emergencies.  Technology in this day in age, connects our lives to so many streams of social media our mind cannot rest.  So many stressors were eliminated from this simple practice.

Okay, so Weary Faint, how does that fit in?  My friend, don’t wait until you are weary or faint this year, be refreshed at strategic and planned moments.  What does refresh mean?  When one is relieved from fatigue or depression, repaired, reinvigorated, and enlivened anew.  The Challenge is on, set a day or two and pre-plan time throughout the school year to Deactivate, so God can Update, Celebrate, and Elevate and distinguish you from the crowd! When others will digress in fatigue, God will propel you forward by faith as His glory is revealed and astonishes you! This is best school year to come!